Lifestyle Archives - The Bright Spot

Category: Lifestyle

06 Apr

Fitness & Active LivingHealthy LivingHobbies & InterestsLifestyleBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

5 ways to explore the Greater Toronto Area on a budget

How well do you know the area you call home? Wouldn’t it be fun to be a tourist in your own city? Visiting quirky neighbourhoods and neat stores, tasting food from around the globe, taking in exciting attractions and exploring the great outdoors. Would it surprise you to find out that there’s so much that’s available in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), either free or on a reasonable budget?

Here are five ways to start exploring and be a tourist in your own backyard!

1. Museums and attractions

The GTA is home to world-class attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada (both offer discounts for older Canadians and complimentary visits are available). It’s also full of other, less well-known surprises like the Aga Khan Museum and the Textile Museum of Canada.

Did you know Ontario’s heritage treasures are open with free events every April to October? Doors Open Ontario has a number of locations opening their doors for you to explore. Visit the Doors Open Ontario website for a complete list of events.

While there is an entrance fee to visit Casa Loma in Toronto, a guided tour at Spadina Museum right beside Casa Loma is always free. There are a number of free museum and cultural events in Toronto to explore.

The Toronto Public Library offers the Museum + Art’s Pass (MAP) program. With a Toronto Public Library card, you can borrow the pass and get into many Toronto museums and attractions free. Mississauga offers a PAMA Family pass that lets families (bring the grandkids!) get into art galleries and museums free. Check out if your public library offers the same — most libraries offer this type of pass!

Hot Docs is celebrating 30 years this year and begins April 27 in Toronto. Patrons 60+ can take advantage of free tickets to watch an amazing selection of documentaries from around the world before 5 pm daily.

You may want to take advantage of Attractions Ontario Coupons for discounts to attractions all over Ontario, and if you use PRESTO on the GO system, you can get more price breaks.

2. Markets and festivals

You’ll never run out of markets, festivals and fairs to visit in the GTA and surrounding area. To taste international cuisine at great prices, the St. Lawrence Market and its Market Gallery (always free) is a natural destination. That’s just the beginning, because farms such as the Brooks Farm in Mount Albert have seasonal festivals and events worth a visit.

A number of farms in the GTA offer a fun day of exploring and strawberry picking. Most charge a small entry fee which includes the cost of the strawberries. To Do Canada offers a good list of farms to get you started.

Why not take in a free movie or concert at various parks, including the Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto’s longest-running, free community film festival. Visit To Do Canada for an updated list of festivals near you. Don’t forget the Toronto International Festival of Authors, where browsing is free, and you can meet the authors.

3. The great outdoors

The GTA has about 12 million trees covering beautiful trails, neighbourhoods, and attractions to visit and explore. A great place to start is ROMWalks, free guided tours of Toronto that include historical facts, and no registration is required. The Tour Guys offer inexpensive walking tours of various exciting Toronto spots. Along the way you can stop at some of the unique food trucks the city has to offer. Or you may want to check out a food truck festival. Canadian Food Truck Festivals lists upcoming festivals near you.

You may decide to take an always-free stroll through the GTA’s many parks and gardens. Apart from popular destinations like Edwards Gardens or Toronto’s largest public park, High Park, consider visiting the fully accessible Rosetta McClain Gardens in Scarborough and the Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat along the shores of Lake Ontario in the west end.

4. Natural wonders

Further afield, there’s an abundance of natural wonders and beautiful towns to experience. One of the most charming is Elora, and its most famous attraction, the Elora Gorge. It’s made up of 350 acres of riverside trails, scenic overlooks and some of the best trout fishing in North America. Another stunning area is the Cheltenham Badlands, one of the few places you’ll see rolling red soft rock, devoid of vegetation. The Elora Gorge and Cheltenham Badlands open for the season in May.

Toronto Field Naturalists is a volunteer-run, non-profit nature conservation group that offers over 140 guided nature walks and you can participate in various conservation efforts. The Toronto Ornithological Club has regular field trips and funds bird-related projects in the GTA. Check out Senior Toronto for more nature groups like these.

5. Lesser known

The GTA also has some unique attractions in its nooks and crannies you might not know. The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, part of University of Toronto, holds around 700,000 fascinating rare books and manuscripts, including a publication from 1551. A mainstay of the Toronto skyline is the Redpath Sugar Refinery, where you can tour the active factory and visit the museum.

There’s so much to see and do in the GTA — and so much of it is right in our own backyard. We hope you can get out and explore some of these amazing places and find some new ones too.

05 Oct

Fitness & Active LivingHealthLifestyleBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

5 budget-friendly ways to stay fit and active

Exercise benefits people of all ages. For older adults, keeping fit and limber becomes even more important to stay healthy in body and mind. Regular exercise can be varied, fun and achieved on a small budget.

When choosing budget-conscious exercises, the following tips can spice up your activity:

find what you enjoy and switch if you get bored
invite friends and family
plan ahead to stay motivated

Here are some handy tips for staying active while being mindful of the effects on your bank account.

1. Walking

For many, walking is accessible, only requiring comfortable shoes and clothing. You could keep a brisk pace to increase your heart rate and choose a route where you can add stairs, hills, and nature paths. Ontario has lots of free, scenic trails including the popular Bruce Trail and Toronto’s Leslie Street Spit Trail. Walking is a great opportunity to listen to music or an audiobook.

2. Yoga

Yoga offers gentle, low-impact activity with huge benefits for muscle strength, balance, and mobility. For a modified workout, chair yoga is a great option. There’s a good chance you’ll find free, outdoor yoga classes for all ages and abilities in your area. And in many cases, you can just drop in. From home, tuning in to a live-streamed yoga session is another convenient and affordable choice.

3. Strength Training

Strength training is crucial for older adults to maintain muscle mass, strengthen bones, and improve brain function. You can do strength-training activities at home with minimal equipment, using common objects found in your home. For a full-body workout, you can use a chair, a small towel, a wall and some cans or bottles. Add to this your own bodyweight and your creative brain, and you will have enough options to provide months of challenges. If you want the social experience of a gym club, check for free passes at community facilities.

4. Racquet Sports

You don’t have to be a professional sports figure to enjoy, and benefit from, various racquet sports. One of the fastest growing of these sports in North America is pickleball and it’s free or low cost in many places. Join a league, meet new people, and get a great workout. For a faster pace, try table tennis. Nizagara 100 mg https://tyackdentalgroup.com/nizagara

5. Group Fitness Classes

Regular class exercises with others lets you plug into the energy of the group to stay motivated and healthy. A most affordable option is to invite friends over and register for an online class. You’ll have no trouble finding classes tailored to different levels of fitness and mobility.

Attending organized classes, run by a qualified instructor at a gym or community centre might give you extra motivation to commit and expand your social life. These types of classes range from cycle fitness to low-impact body movement, cardio workouts, and tai chi. It’s easy to find a wide variety of exercise options in one place.

Remember you can add exercise into your daily life. Take the stairs, go for a walk if you are able, or try a few stretches while watching your favourite television show. There are a number of programs for older adults available at your local YMCA Health and Fitness Centre and free virtual exercise options at The Bright Spot.

We hope you check them out.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a charity that provides financial assistance to provide individuals with access to critical YMCA programs and services they otherwise could not afford.

29 Jun

Fitness & Active LivingHealthy LivingLifestyleSpotlight StoriesBy admin0 Comments

Lessons in living from Karen, a long-time Y volunteer who turned 80 this year!

Karen joined Central YMCA in 1978 right after her first child was born. She joined with a friend, and they put their kids in child-minding and never looked back. Since 1984, Karen has volunteered as a Group Fitness instructor and says she loves every minute of her time with her friends at the YMCA. To celebrate her birthday this year, Karen spent a few weeks visiting her youngest grandchild in Barcelona. This is her fifth visit there and now considers Barcelona her “home away from home.” Karen’s start at the Y Karen began volunteering at the Y in 1984 when she stepped in to teach a Stretch and Strength class. She quickly took the necessary courses and exams to make her volunteering official. She continues to teach group fitness twice a week and says that although she’s always been fit, she has had to adapt her routine somewhat to accommodate her body’s needs as she ages. This is perfect for her group because many have been exercising with Karen for 20 years or more. “The class is getting older with me,” she says. The importance of movement Karen was a ballet dancer when she was younger, so staying active has always been a large part of her life. “Movement is so important, especially if I’m feeling tense,” she says. Today, she only does exercises she enjoys. Karen has learned that even though she doesn’t feel a day over 60, she’s had to accept her limitations. She has also had to reconcile the fact that as much as her body is slowing down, her mind is not. Over the years, she has had to cope with challenges like the death of her husband. As we age, we think emotions will be easier to handle she says, but we still feel as frightened and vulnerable at 80 as we did as a younger person. Recently Karen has had bouts of vertigo, but she hasn’t let that stop her. She adapted her movements in class and sometimes if she feels dizzy, the class stops for a moment and then continues the mainly floor work. She says it’s such a pleasure to be with her class twice a week where she can relax and be comfortable and supported. Karen continues to live in Cabbagetown in the house she and her husband bought in 1977. She says she’s got everything she needs to be able to stay in her home as she ages. Work and volunteering Karen has worked as a secretary and copy editor and continues to be passionate about writing. Although she doesn’t do a lot of writing anymore, she had two books published over the years. When her children were younger, she would regularly host writing groups in her home. She plans to volunteer at the Red Door Family Shelter, teaching children with learning difficulties English and writing. Karen enjoys spending time with children and wants to be involved with them as much as she can. “My grandchildren don’t live close by but that’s OK,” she says. “My friends and I share our grandchildren with each other.” Well-being and the Y During the pandemic, Karen missed the Y terribly but she’s getting back into her routine. “There’s something about participating at the Y that is very relaxing,” she says. When The Toronto Symphony Orchestra put on a performance for volunteers in 2021, she was deeply moved. It was the first concert she had attended in a long time and, she says, “It was magnificent!” “The Y has helped me through a lot of emotional stuff, and I think it’s done the same for so many people,” says Karen. Karen understands the importance of physical and mental health and how the two go hand in hand. When her husband died she experienced immense grief that felt so overwhelming. She says it’s not something you get over — you learn to live with the grief. Karen found exercise and movement and eventually reading, listening to music, and seeing friends again helped her to cope. Simple things like a warm cup of tea helped. “Just living. It’s not time — it’s living that helps,” she says. Final words Humbly, Karen says she doesn’t have any “words of wisdom”. She has learned from her children, and even a new exercise from her 7-month-old granddaughter. She says, “Keep your curiosity and be open to learn new things”. About aging, she says: “If you’re going up the stairs and you need to rest — then rest.”